In the News

 A state Department of Transportation team will lead the next steps toward getting the Scranton-to-New York City passenger train running, officials said Monday.

They said PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Meredith Biggica will head the team as officials start unraveling and understanding the processes, regulations and hurdles necessary for the train to roll. Officials from PennDOT, New Jersey Transit and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority have already met to discuss what’s next, said attorney Larry Malski, the authority president.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, state Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll and others spoke Monday at a news conference that Cartwright called to celebrate. They celebrated the Federal Railroad Administration choosing the train project for its Corridor ID program, meant to identify viable, new passenger train routes.

The local planners await the FRA’s instructions, including the naming of an agency contact person, Malski said.

“So that’s what’s going to start happening in next 30, 60, 90 days. Based on that, the PennDOT team and their consultants will be working together to start addressing steps one and two,” he said.